Junior ministerial offices

Minister of State for Trade Policy
In office 16 September 2021 – 6 September 2022
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Greg Hands
Succeeded by	Conor Burns
Paymaster General
In office 13 February 2020 – 16 September 2021
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Oliver Dowden
Succeeded by	Michael Ellis
Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health
In office 15 July 2016 – 9 November 2017
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Justin Tomlinson
Succeeded by	Sarah Newton
Minister of State for the Armed Forces
In office 11 May 2015 – 15 July 2016
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Mark François
Succeeded by	Mike Penning
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
In office 14 July 2014 – 11 May 2015
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Nick Boles
Succeeded by	James Wharton

Member of Parliament
for Portsmouth North

Incumbent

Assumed office
6 May 2010

Preceded by

Sarah McCarthy-Fry

Majority

15,780 (34.4%)

Personal details

Born

Penelope Mary Mordaunt

4 March 1973 (age 51)
Torquay, Devon, England

Political party

Conservative

Spouse

Paul Murray

(m. 1999; div. 2000)

Alma mater

University of Reading (BA)

Signature

Military service

Allegiance

United Kingdom

Branch/service

Royal Navy

Years of service

2010–2019

Rank

Acting Sub-Lieutenant
(Honorary Captain)

Unit

Royal Naval Reserve

Penelope Mary Mordaunt (/ˈmɔːrdənt/; born 4 March 1973) is a British politician who serves as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council.

Early life and education
Commercial and professional career
Political career
Views
Personal life
Decorations
Publications
Images for kids
See also

Early life and education

Penelope Mary Mordaunt was born on 4 March 1973 in Torquay, Devon. Her father, John Mordaunt, served in the Parachute Regiment before retraining as a teacher, and later a youth worker for Hampshire County Council. Her mother, Jennifer (née Snowden), was a special needs teacher at several Purbrook schools.

Penny Mordaunt has two brothers: her twin, James, and a younger brother, Edward. Mordaunt was educated at Oaklands Roman Catholic School in Waterlooville, Hampshire, and studied drama at the Victoryland Theatre School.

Mordaunt was 15 when her mother died of breast cancer and after leaving school, she became her younger brother Edward's primary caregiver. The following year her father was also diagnosed with cancer, from which he recovered. Mordaunt has attributed her interest in politics to her experiences whilst working in hospitals and orphanages of Romania while that country was in the aftermath of the 1989 revolution.

Mordaunt read philosophy at the University of Reading, graduating in 1995 with upper second class honours. She was active in student politics and served as president of the Reading University Students' Union.

Commercial and professional career

After graduation, Mordaunt's employment was focused on public relations in various sectors. Under Prime Minister John Major she was Head of Youth for the Conservative Party, before working for two years as Head of Broadcasting for the Conservatives under party leader William Hague (1999–2001). She worked as a communications specialist for the Freight Transport Association (now Logistics UK) from 1997 to 1999. In 2000, she worked briefly as Head of Foreign Press for George W. Bush's presidential campaign.

She was Communications Director for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea from 2001 to 2003.

From 2004 to 2006, she was a director of Media Intelligence Partners. Mordaunt worked for the Bush campaign again in 2004. She was a director at the Community Fund, which merged with the New Opportunities Fund to create the Big Lottery Fund, and created the Veterans Reunited programme, enabling service men and women to visit World War II battlefields and be involved in commemorative events. Mordaunt worked for the Big Lottery Fund from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, she became one of six directors at charity Diabetes UK, a role she held until 2009.

Political career

Mordaunt meeting with Rishi Sunak

Mordaunt, as Lord President of the Council, arriving at the Accession Council of King Charles III

Mordaunt was elected to the House of Commons at the 2010 general election. Under the coalition government of David Cameron, she served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Decentralisation from 2014 to 2015. After the 2015 general election, Cameron promoted her to Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the first woman to hold the post.

Following Theresa May's appointment as Prime Minister, Mordaunt was appointed Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health. In 2017, following the resignation of Priti Patel, she was appointed Secretary of State for International Development. She also served as Minister for Women and Equalities from 2018 to 2019.

In May 2019, Mordaunt was appointed to the Cabinet position of Secretary of State for Defence, replacing Gavin Williamson, becoming the first woman to hold the post. She served as Defence Secretary for 85 days before returning to the backbenches, having been removed from office by the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In the February 2020 reshuffle, she re-entered government as Paymaster General. In the 2021 reshuffle, she was appointed Minister of State for Trade Policy.

Following Johnson's announcement in July 2022 that he would resign as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister, Mordaunt entered the leadership contest to succeed him, but was eliminated in the final round of voting among Conservative MPs and subsequently endorsed Truss. Mordaunt was appointed as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council when Truss became Prime Minister. Following Truss's resignation on 20 October 2022, Mordaunt made a second bid to become Conservative leader and Prime Minister. She pulled out of the election after being unable to gain the necessary endorsement of 100 MPs, allowing Sunak to become Conservative Leader and Prime Minister unopposed. Sunak later retained Mordaunt in his cabinet, continuing as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President.

On 6 May 2023, Mordaunt participated in the coronation of Charles III and Camilla, presenting the Jewelled Sword of Offering, in her ceremonial role as Lord President of the Privy Council and bearer of the Sword of State. She became the first woman ever to fulfil the role. Instead of the traditional court dress, Mordaunt commissioned her outfit, which included teal-shade cape dress and headpiece both embroidered with golden ferns. Mordaunt's outfit and overall performance in carrying the heavy Sword of State went viral online, receiving praise from both benches of the Parliament.

Views

Brexit

In the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, Mordaunt supported Brexit.

Homeopathy

Mordaunt has repeatedly advocated that the British National Health Service should fund the availability of homeopathy. In 2010, she signed a Parliamentary Early Day Motion that claimed there was "overwhelming anecdotal evidence that homeopathy is effective" and called for the government to "maintain a policy of allowing health commissions to refer to homeopathic doctors and approved homeopaths".

Royal yachts

In June 2020, Mordaunt produced a proposal for a pair of ships with the primary role of specialising in trade, research, and humanitarian work. The vessels were to be funded by private, research, commercial and charitable funds, in partnership with the UK's Overseas Development Assistance budget. The vessels could also be used as "cost effective and secure" accommodation for members of the Royal Family on visits, so would effectively be successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia which had been decommissioned in 1997. Mordaunt said of it, “We know that industry would also support as would a growing coalition of commercial and trade ventures, research organisations, shipbuilders and ship support companies, maritime training organisations and medical and health projects”. The director of the Global Britain Programme at the Henry Jackson Society, said: "These new ships will help project Britain's image around the world".

Personal life

Mordaunt has been a member of the British Astronomical Association, and, as of 2013^[update], was chair of the Wymering Manor Trust in Portsmouth. She ran the League of Friends visiting team at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth for eight years.

Mordaunt met Paul Murray when they were both students at the University of Reading and married him in 1999, but that ended in divorce the following year. Mordaunt's hobbies include astronomy, painting, dance and music. She owns four Burmese cats.

Decorations

: King Charles III Coronation Medal

Publications

Greater: Britain After the Storm (with Chris Lewis, 2021) ISBN: 9781785906091

Images for kids

Mordaunt on a visit to Kutupalong in Bangladesh in November 2017
Mordaunt in 2019

Penny Mordaunt facts for kids

Contents